Catherine II (Empress of Russia)'s Books

The Memoirs of Catherine the Great

By: Catherine the Great

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The Memoirs of Catherine the Great

By: Catherine the Great

Empress Catherine II brought Europe to Russia, and Russia to Europe, during her long and eventful reign (1762—96). She fostered the culture of the Enlightenment and greatly expanded the immense empire created by Czar Ivan the Terrible, shifting the balance of power in Europe eastward. Famous for her will to power and for her dozen lovers, Catherine was also a prolific and gifted writer. Fluent in French, Russian, and German, Catherine published political theory, journalism, comedies, operas, and history, while writing thousands of letters as she corresponded with Voltaire and other public figures. The Memoirs of Catherine the Great provides an unparalleled window into eighteenth-century Russia and the mind of an absolute ruler. With insight, humor, and candor, Catherine presents her eyewitness account of history, from her whirlwind entry into the Russian court in 1744 at age fourteen as the intended bride of Empress Elizabeth I’s nephew, the eccentric drunkard and future Peter III, to her unhappy marriage; from her two children, several miscarriages, and her and Peter’s numerous affairs to the political maneuvering that enabled Catherine to seize the throne from him in 1762. Catherine’s eye for telling details makes for compelling reading as she describes the dramatic fall and rise of her political fortunes. This definitive new translation from the French is scrupulously faithful to her words and is the first for which translators have consulted original manuscripts written in Catherine’s own hand. It is an indispensable work for anyone interested in Catherine the Great, Russian history, or the eighteenth century.

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Page Count

362

Publisher

Modern Library

Published Date

ISBN 10

0812969871

ISBN 13

9780812969870

Two Comedies by Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia

Oh, These Times! and The Siberian Shaman

By: Catherine II (Empress of Russia)

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Two Comedies by Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia

Oh, These Times! and The Siberian Shaman

By: Catherine II (Empress of Russia)

The Siberian shaman: Cast gender - mixed; number - 10 males, 5 females (total 15); size - large; length - 5 acts, 53 scenes. Satire on shamanism as a deceitful profession which preys on the gullible.

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Page Count

116

Publisher

Psychology Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

9057550237

ISBN 13

9789057550232

Memoirs of the Empress Catherine II.

By: Empress of Russia Catherine II

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Memoirs of the Empress Catherine II.

By: Empress of Russia Catherine II

Reproduction of the original: Memoirs of the Empress Catherine II. by Empress of Russia Catherine II

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Page Count

198

Publisher

BoD – Books on Demand

Published Date

ISBN 10

3734041260

ISBN 13

9783734041266

The Memoirs of Catherine the Great

By: Catherine the Great

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The Memoirs of Catherine the Great

By: Catherine the Great

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362

Publisher

Modern Library

Published Date

ISBN 10

0307432432

ISBN 13

9780307432438

Love & Conquest

Personal Correspondence of Catherine the Great and Prince Grigory Potemkin

By: Catherine II (Empress of Russia),Grigoriĭ Aleksandrovich Potemkin (kni͡azʹ),Douglas Smith

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Love & Conquest

Personal Correspondence of Catherine the Great and Prince Grigory Potemkin

By: Catherine II (Empress of Russia),Grigoriĭ Aleksandrovich Potemkin (kni͡azʹ),Douglas Smith

Of all of history's great romances, few can compare with that of Catherine the Great and Prince Grigory Potemkin. Their turbulent and complicated relationship shocked their contemporaries and continues to intrigue observers of Russia centuries later. Lovers, companions, and, most likely, husband and wife, Catherine and Potemkin were also close political partners, and for a time Potemkin served as Catherine's de facto co-ruler of the Russian Empire. Their letters offer an intimate glimpse into the lovers' unguarded moments, revealing both ecstatic expressions of love and candid insights on eighteenth-century politics. In February 1774, the Russian empress took Grigory Potemkin for her lover and, it is now believed, secretly married him a few months later. Particularly in the first two years of their relationship, Catherine was consumed by her passion for Potemkin. The hundreds of letters and notes she dashed off to him between assignations in the Winter Palace during this time attest to the giddy exuberance of the new love that so fully embraced her. Love and Conquest contains the most historically significant and personally revealing of these letters, only a few of which have ever before been translated into English. Beginning with Potemkin's letter to Catherine written while off fighting the Turks in 1769 and concluding with his farewell note scribbled the day before his death in 1791, the correspondence spans most of Catherine's reign. The letters are at once personal and political, private and public. Many of Catherine's love letters to Potemkin written during their stormy affair reveal the empress's passionate personality. Potemkin's letters provide rare insight into his arrogant and mercurial character, while serving to dispel the myth of Potemkin as little more than a corrupt sycophant. Love and Conquest reveals the complexity of Catherine and Potemkin's personal relationship in light of dramatic changes in matters of state, foreign relations, and military engagements. After their love cooled, Catherine and Potemkin continued to discuss and debate a wide range of state affairs in their letters, including the annexation of the Crimea, court politics, wars against the Ottoman Empire and Sweden, and the colonization of southern Russia. Together they carried out the most dramatic territorial expansion in the history of imperial Russia, transforming Catherine into a powerful world leader and creating a bond of affection that would never fully fade. Readers will find in the letters new insights on Russia's most famous empress, her passions, and her world.

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Page Count

421

Published Date

ISBN 10

0875803245

ISBN 13

9780875803241

Catherine the Great: Selected Letters

By: Catherine The Great

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Catherine the Great: Selected Letters

By: Catherine The Great

Your Majesty may find it extraordinary that I should answer with a shipment of fruit your letter of 6 August, in which you inform me that you are sending the plan for a treaty, and that of the 8 September, in which you are so good as to share with me equally important intelligence. Things big and small often come from the same source: my watermelons derive from the same principles as our planned alliance...' (To Frederick the Great) Catherine the Great's letters present a vivid picture of Russia in a momentous age. They also offer a unique account of her personal development and intimate life, her strategic acumen as a diplomat and military commander, and her political skills at the Russian court and in handling foreign monarchs. Born a German princess, Catherine married into the Russian royal family and came to the throne after a coup. As absolute ruler for 34 years she presided over the expansion of the Russian empire, legislated actively to reform the country in keeping with the principles of the Enlightenment, actively promoted the arts and sciences, and in her correspondence engaged with the most renowned minds in Europe, among them Diderot and Voltaire. Her letters are her literary masterpiece, written to a wide circle of associates and friends, not least her most celebrated lover and ally, Potemkin. Combining her wit, charm, and quick eye for detail, they entertain and tell the griping story of a self-made woman and legendary ruler. This edition of the letters offers a taste of Catherine's entire writing career, with biographies of Catherine's addressees, a thorough overview of her reign and an analysis of Catherine's literary skill as a letter-writer. Organized chronologically and thematically into six periods, each section also features an introduction to the domestic, personal and foreign policy contexts out of which her letters emerge.

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Page Count

572

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0191056138

ISBN 13

9780191056130

Catherine the Great: Selected Letters

By: Catherine The Great

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Catherine the Great: Selected Letters

By: Catherine The Great

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Page Count

481

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

019105612X

ISBN 13

9780191056123

Book's by Catherine II (Empress of Russia)

The Memoirs of Catherine the Great

The Memoirs of Catherine the Great

Two Comedies by Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia

Two Comedies by Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia

Memoirs of the Empress Catherine II.

Memoirs of the Empress Catherine II.

The Memoirs of Catherine the Great

The Memoirs of Catherine the Great

Love & Conquest

Love & Conquest

Catherine the Great: Selected Letters

Catherine the Great: Selected Letters

Catherine the Great: Selected Letters

Catherine the Great: Selected Letters

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